All stories by Stephen Best on BroadwayStars

Thursday, April 17, 2025

Cabaret Review: AN EVENING WITH SUTTON FOSTER (Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston) by Stephen Best

OH, I'VE GOT PLENTY OF SUTTON Rounding out Hobby Center's trio of Beyond Broadway Series concerts following Adrienne Warren, Sutton Foster descended on a rather enthusiastic crowd Friday eve…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:56AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Hamilton " An American Revolution by Stephen Best

Now playing at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, the absolute crown jewel of the theater known simply as Hamilton.  This artistic cultural phenomenon is non-stop, high-energy, fro…

SOURCE: Times Square Chronicles at 12:01AM[SHARE]
Friday, March 21, 2025

Theater Review: HAMILTON (National Tour in Houston) by Stephen Best

Now playing at The Hobby Center in Houston is the national tour of the absolute crown jewel of the theater known simply as Hamilton. This artistic cultural phenomenon is non-stop high-energy…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 10:44PM[SHARE]
Sunday, February 2, 2025

Cabaret Review: ADRIENNE WARREN IN CONCERT (Beyond Broadway Series at The Hobby Center in Houston) by Stephen Best

ADRIENNE WARREN IS, INDEED, SIMPLY THE BEST The second of a three Beyond Broadway concert series was headlined by Tony-winner Adrienne Warren. I have followed Warren since 2016 when I saw he…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:12PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Theater Review: & JULIET (Broadway National Tour) by Stephen Best

STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE SET TO A POP BEAT After a few weather-related delays, Houston was introduced to the toe-tapping fun that is the national tour of & Juliet at The Hobby Center. Blendi…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:54AM[SHARE]
Saturday, January 11, 2025

Theater Review: SHUCKED (National Tour) by Stephen Best

A SHUCKING DELIGHT The Broadway tour of Shucked by Robert Horn will be cracking up audiences in Chicago's CIBC Theatre through January 19th before it continues on its national tour. If you l…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:45PM[SHARE]
Monday, November 18, 2024

Theater Review: PAW PATROL LIVE! A MIGHTY ADVENTURE (International Tour by Nickelodeon at Hobby Center, Houston) by Stephen Best

PAWFECT FOR THE KIDDIES I have often felt that anything that gets children exposed to live theatrical productions is such a gift. A staged show can have such an enormous impact on both creat…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:11PM[SHARE]
Saturday, August 24, 2024

Theater Review: FUNNY GIRL (National Tour at Hobby Center) by Stephen Best

NOT QUITE THE GREATEST STAR The opening moments of this retelling of the Fanny Brice story has the main character sitting backstage as "ghosts" of former performers circle about her. The rea…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:17AM[SHARE]
Thursday, June 27, 2024

Theater Review: COME FROM AWAY (National Tour reviewed at Rudder Auditorium at Texas A&M University) by Stephen Best

DYNAMIC DOZEN DELIVERS Turning the backdrop of one of America's darkest days into a lively and highly entertaining musical, the creators of Come From Away successfully navigated turning terr…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:58AM[SHARE]
Monday, June 10, 2024

Theater Review: HAIRSPRAY (National Tour at the Hobby Center in Houston) by Stephen Best

HAIRSPRAY: HIGH-STEPPIN' AND HIGH HAIR IN HOUSTON Returning to the Broadway at the Hobby Center series for one week only, the high-stepping, toe-tapping, raucous romp good time known as Hair…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:59AM[SHARE]
Thursday, May 12, 2022

Theater Review: LOOKINGGLASS ALICE (Lookingglass Theatre) by Stephen Best

CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER JUST GETS BETTERER AND BETTERER After two Covid-19 delays, Lookingglass Alice is once again high-flying and adored at the Lookingglass Theatre, whose glorious and …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:52AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Theater Review: ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL (Chicago Shakes) by Stephen Best

HARRIED HAPPENINGS AT NAVY PIER A rarely produced dark comedy from the annals of William Shakespeare's folio is ushering in springtime at Navy Pier. All's Well That Ends Well might not ha…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 10:03PM[SHARE]

Music Review: EMANCIPATION (Adrian Dunn World Premiere at the Harris Theater, Chicago) by Stephen Best

CLASSICAL BLACK MUSIC MATTERS One of the really fantastic aspects of being a critic is discovering "new to me" talent. Being in the Chicago Arts scenes, it is next to impossible to see every…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:07PM[SHARE]
Friday, April 29, 2022

Theater Review: SPRING AWAKENING (Porchlight Music Theatre) by Stephen Best

UNDERSTATED PATHOS As timely now as it was when the original play was written over 150 years ago, Spring Awakening is now rocking the stage at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. This edgy…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:20PM[SHARE]
Monday, April 25, 2022

Theater Review: TEATRO ZINZANNI: WISHES & DREAMS (Cambria Hotel in Chicago) by Stephen Best

HIGH FLYING ADORED Equal parts sassy and sexy, the latest version of the Teatro ZinZanni, aptly titled Wishes & Dreams, is bringing much needed fun back downtown to The Loop. Se…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:54PM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 24, 2022

Theater Review: CARMELA FULL OF WISHES (Chicago Children's Theatre) by Stephen Best

FAMILY FUN WITH A LATIN FLAIR Just in time for spring, the Chicago Children's Theatre is back in bloom. Returning to live, in-person productions, Carmela Full of Wishes is a charming t…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:53AM[SHARE]
Saturday, April 23, 2022

Theater Review: MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL (North American Tour) by Stephen Best

SPECTACULAR! SPECTACULAR! If a high-kicking, visually spellbinding, toe-tapping night out is what you love in entertainment, have I got just the show for you. Even though the original openin…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 01:46PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Theater Review: THE PROM (North American Tour) by Stephen Best

TOE-TAPPING TUNES MAKE THE SHOW Dust off the Mylar balloons and wrist corsages Chicago, you only have one week to attend The Prom as part of its national tour. No smelly gymnasium o…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:03AM[SHARE]
Monday, April 18, 2022

Opera Tour Review: EDEN (Joyce DiDonato) by Stephen Best

SPRING IN BLOOM WITH JOYCE DiDONATO Spreading a message of harmony, love and environmental consciousness through opera, American lyric-coloratura mezzo-soprano, Joyce DiDonato, triumphantly …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:27PM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 17, 2022

Theater Review: GOOD NIGHT, OSCAR (Goodman Theatre) by Stephen Best

HAYES'S HARRIED HIT "It'd be nice to please everyone but I thought it would be more interesting to have a point of view." The incomparable Oscar Levant is the subject of the latest premiere …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 10:57PM[SHARE]
Saturday, April 16, 2022

Theater Review: WINNIE THE POOH: THE NEW MUSICAL STAGE ADAPTION (Mercury Theater Chicago) by Stephen Best

A WINNING WINNIE Just in time to join in the celebration of the 95th anniversary of the beloved children's character, the Mercury Theater is making a bold and comm…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:52PM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 14, 2022

Theater Review: SEAN MASTERSON'S MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE (Chicago Magic Lounge) by Stephen Best

WIZARDRY ABOUNDS One of the real hidden gems in the Windy City's entertainment scene is the Chicago Magic Lounge. This stunning Art Deco theater is home to one of the most luxurious bars in …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:30PM[SHARE]

Theater Review: SIX THE MUSICAL (North American Tour Kickoff) by Stephen Best

BOW DOWN TO THE QUEENS OF SIX The second hottest fire to burn through Chicago since 1871 was last night, center stage at the CIBC Theatre, and is now playing there for the next four months b…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:31AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Theater Review: RELENTLESS (Goodman Theatre, Chicago) by Stephen Best

COMPLEX AND POWERFUL, RELENTLESS LIVES UP TO ITS TITLE After Timeline Theatre Company's near sold-out run during the winter, The Goodman Theatre is restaging playwright Tyla Abercrumbie's fe…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 10:07PM[SHARE]
Monday, April 11, 2022

Review: AN EVENING WITH RENÉE ELISE GOLDSBERRY (Concert at Auditorium Theatre in Chicago) by Stephen Best

ODE TO LOVE It is not everyday that Tony Award-winning chanteuses drop by to entertain in the Windy City, so it was with great anticipation that Renée Elise Goldsberry took to the Auditoriu…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 10:52PM[SHARE]

Theater Review: IN EVERY GENERATION (Victory Gardens) by Stephen Best

FAMILY DYSFUNCTION, PAST AND FUTURE Philosopher George Santayana once famously wrote "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." This quote kept bouncing around my head …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:30PM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 10, 2022

Theater Review: A RECIPE FOR DISASTER! (Winy City Playhouse at Petterino's Restaurant) by Stephen Best

DISASTER LIVES UP TO ITS TITLE Its not everyday a well-known chef headlines a new play, so it was with great interest I attended the new immersive comedy, A Recipe For Disaster! This W…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:14PM[SHARE]
Friday, April 8, 2022

Theater Review: THE KING AND I (Drury Lane, Chicagoland) by Stephen Best

A ROYAL PRODUCTION There is something to be said for a classic musical lovingly restaged for a new generation of audiences. The Drury Lane Theatre should be very proud with their latest, Rod…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:44PM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 7, 2022

Theater Review: IT'S JUST LIKE COMING TO CHURCH (Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago) by Stephen Best

DAWN BLESS A BLESSING IN SCALED-DOWN CHURCH After an almost two year pandemic break, the Black Ensemble Theater BET) is back in business and doing a necessary check in on everyone's mental h…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:52PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Theater Review: THE BEST FRIGGIN' SONGS OF THE SECOND CITY: SING OUT! (UP Comedy Club) by Stephen Best

COMEDY SET TO A BEAT Tina Arfaee, Cat McDonnell, Uri, Teagan Earley, Breanna Ghostone, Preston Parker Often referred to as the crown jewel of sketch comedy, The Second City is unveilin…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:23PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Dance Review: ILLUMINATE (Giordano Dance Chicago) by Stephen Best

ILLUMINATING, INDEED! Now in its 59th season, Giordano Dance Chicago is back with its latest collection of modern dance pieces, Illuminate, at the Harris Theater at Millennium Park. No Ap…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:45PM[SHARE]

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